How To Resize Images in Snapseed

Posted by Jamie on February 26, 2019

Want to resize images in Snapseed? Want to crop or expand an image? Want to achieve a very specific size or orientation? This tutorial will show you how.

Snapseed is Google’s answer to a mobile Photoshop and does a fantastic job of editing images within the confines of a mobile phone. It has a bunch of tools from filters to perspectives, vignettes and more. It is a very capable image editor that works on both Android and iOS.

I’m a latecomer to Snapseed but I am now a complete convert. As someone who likes taking image shots when out on my mountain bike, Snapseed allows me to edit on the fly before uploading.

Resizing images in Snapseed

The app contains a lot of tools for adding filters, Looks and more but the resizing options are limited. You can crop or expand your image but there is no resize option. You can export when you save an image which allows a modicum of resizing but there is no actual resize option like there is in GIMP. That is a shame but not a showstopper as there are alternatives.

Resize an image in Snapseed

Your options are limited when it comes to resizing. You can set a maximum image size for exporting and sharing and modify the file size and quality but that’s about it.

Open Snapseed and select Settings.

Select Image Sizing and adjust it to your needs.

Select Format and quality and do the same.

Your options are limited here. Image sizing is restricted to 800px, 1,366px, 1,920px, 2,000px and 4,000px. Instagram uses 1920px so you can perform basic resizing from within the app but not much else.

Format and quality is more about file size than image size and gives you the option to downsample to 95%, 80% or to save as a PNG.

Crop an image in Snapseed

Cropping allows you to change the composition of your image so the subject stands out more or lets you remove distractions from the main subject. Cropping, like many tools within Snapseed requires more care in its use rather than operation as it is simple to use but difficult to get right.

Open an image you want to crop in Snapseed.

Select the pencil icon in the bottom right.

Select Crop and then select an aspect ratio from the list.

Drag the corners of the crop square into position and select the checkmark in the bottom right to set it in place.

You will see a bunch of options for aspect ratio including Free, Original, 1:1, DIN, 3:2, 4:3, 5:4, 7:5 or 16:9. Free gives you carte blanche to use crop as you see fit while the others will fit to their corresponding ratio and let you drag the crop square wherever you need it.

Expand an image in Snapseed

Expanding images is the opposite of cropping. If you weren’t able to compose the shot fast enough or it just didn’t turn out like you hoped, you can add space around the subject to place the subject in a different position within the frame.

Either way, you can expand an image with Snapseed like this:

Open an image you want to crop in Snapseed.

Select the pencil icon in the bottom right.

Select the Expand tool from the menu.

Use the square overlay to select where and how you want to expand your image.

Select the checkmark when you’re happy.

A similar principle applies here as to crop. You move the square to the position you want on the image and swipe out on the area you want to expand. Use the Smart option at the bottom until you get used to using the Expand tool. Again, the tool itself is easy enough to use but getting the edits right takes a lot longer!

It’s a real shame that Snapseed still hasn’t gotten a resizing option. It is a basic function of any photo editor and one even amateurs like me require to edit their images just so. For now, it’s a case of editing in Snapseed and downloading to my PC to resize in GIMP before uploading again or posting directly from my PC.

There are other photo editing apps with a resize function but I don’t want to use them. Your mileage may vary though depending on how often you want to resize.

Know of any other Snapseed tricks we might want to know about? Know of any workarounds for this lack of resize option? Tell us about it below if you do!